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“So, what’s the opportunity?”
“Here, why don’t I show it to you?” I ask, pulling my phone out of my pocket and finding the video. I press play and slide my phone over to Aidan, then wait while he watches it, my stomach twisting in knots. His expression is totally neutral, and I can’t even begin to guess what he’s thinking. Probably something like, ‘This woman is nuts. There’s no way this is going to work. How do I get her out of here without her throwing herself on the floor and clinging to me like a baby sloth? Sloths have incredible grip strength so it would be hard to shake her. And it’ll also be super embarrassing for both of us. Mostly her.’
When the video finishes, he hands my phone back. “I can see why you figure it’s about a hundred on the scale of long shots.”
Nodding, I do my best to appear confident. “I know, but I’m one of the world’s biggest Crownheads. I’ve read the books and rewatched the series an embarrassing number of times.”
His eyes light up with amusement. “Like, how many?”
“Can I not say?” I ask, my cheeks heating up.
“If you want to convince me, you’re probably better off telling me.”
I close my eyes and wrinkle up my nose. “Six times for the books and fifteen times for the TV series.”
His jaw drops, then he chuckles. “Wow, that is a lot of times.”
“I know, but it’s seriously the greatest series ever written. Are you a fan?”
Shaking his head, he says, “I’ve never seen it or read the books.”
“Well, they’re amazing.”
“Apparently,” he teases. “So you need a boat.”
Okay, here we go. “Starting next Friday. It might just be one day, like day one we find it and done. Or could take a few days. Maybe even a week, I don’t know.” I swallow hard, then force myself to keep going. “I can’t afford to rent your boat for that much time, so I’m hoping you’d be willing to take a chance that we’ll find the crown and we can split the winnings. I mean, I can’t afford to give you half on account of needing so much to get my shop back. I was thinking maybe ten percent? If we find the first crown, that would be a cool hundred thousand in your pocket.”
“And if we don’t find one, I get nothing.”
“Yeah, not ideal, I know. But I promise you, I’m honestly an expert and I know I can solve the clues.”
He shrugs. “That may be the case, but there’s no way of knowing if there’s someone else out there who can solve them quicker.”
“That’s why the plan requires you to be a bit of a gambler.”
He sits back in his chair and doesn’t say anything, which causes me to panic a little. I keep talking before he can say no. “Or if you’re not a gambler, we could set up a payment plan. It might take me a long time to pay you back, but I promise I will.” I chew on my lip again, then say, “I’m not going to lie. It would be a really, really long time, and I don’t know if you’re okay to be out that kind of cash for like, a long time, but if so, I will—”
He holds up one hand. “No, that option doesn’t sound good for either of us. I imagine the last thing you need is more debt.”
“True.” My heart sinks. He’s definitely going to say no, which means I’m going to have to find someone else before the first clue is dropped. “Look, I have a feeling that this whole thing is going to go fast once it starts. All five crowns might be snapped up on day one. What I’m asking for is a few hours or maybe a couple of days of your time and gas. I’m sure to rent out your boat for that long would be more than I can swing right now, but would you be willing to do it for a discount? Just for your costs? I know it’s a big ask for a total stranger and that you have no reason to say yes to it, but I also truly believe that we can find a solution that will work for both of us here. Maybe I could work it off cleaning your boat or answering phones. There’s got to be something I can do for you that you need.”
He stares at me long enough for me to squirm in my seat a little, then he says, “Actually, there is something, but it’s a bit … weird.”
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